When Roger Federer declared Novak Djokovic to be the Australian Open favorite last week, he wasn’t kidding. Especially after the release of the men’s draw this afternoon.

As Federer said, Djokovic is the favorite. With no Rafael Nadal the position of third ranked Andy Murray carried that much more weight and this time the Scot landed on the side of Federer. That leaves Novak with Rafa’s countryman David Ferrer as his semifinal seed. Lucky for the Djoker.

Before then, though, there will be a few hurdles, small ones that is, in Djokovic’s way. The Serb opens with French veteran and former Top 20 Paul-Henri Mathieu, then likely Santiago Giraldo who should beat American upstart Ryan Harrison. Novak’s first seed could come in the form of Radek Stepanek, or perhaps the Czech’s first round opponent Viktor Troicki or even Feliciano Lopez. It’s a tough call, but I think Stepanek’s the guy. In the fourth round, depending on weather, he could see Sam Querrey or if it’s a scorcher of a first week maybe Stan Wawrinka. Then a date with Tomas Berdych in the quarterfinals. Like Djokovic, I don’t just see anyone that will stand in Berdych’s way of the final eight.

I also think Ferrer looks good to be the guy to meet Novak in the semifinals. It’s a lame pick but in a weakest quarter of the draw it’s tough to see anyone stopping David. The Spaniard who’ll become the top-ranked player in his country after the event, begins with Olivier Rochus, then the awkward transition from the smallest to the tallest player in Ivo Karlovic. Hopefully his first seeded clash will be former finalist Marcos Baghdatis and then in the fourth I’ll tab Mikhail Youzhny who also benefits from a hospitable section. In the quarters I guess for now I’ll take Janko Tipsarevic who opens against Lleyton Hewitt in a fiery first rounder. Dimitrov, who plays No. 32 Juliean Bennteau, could also be in the path of Janko, and maybe Jerzy Janowicz can catch fire.

The bottom half is where the action is. Two-time finalist Andy Murray is now a Grand Slam winner. The Scot opens with the talented but oft-injury Robin Haase. From there maybe Florian Mayer in the third, Gilles Simon in the fourth before a big run in with Juan Martin Del Potro in the quarterfinals. Del Po has a nice early road but he could be in for a tussle against Marin Cilic in the fourth. Still, I have pick Murray over Del Potro. But that could change.

Federer finds himself in a loaded final quarter. The Swiss has the flashy Frenchman Benoit Paire in his first match of 2013. Then the in-form Nikolay Davydenko – no easy task there. Maybe a breather after in Martin Klizan or a primetime showdown against Aussie hope Bernard Tomic. What a match that would be. In the fourth let’s hope Milos Raonic finds his form after a shaky start to the year, and if he does he presents a serious test for anyone, Federer included. In the quarters with JW Tsonga questionable I think it’s Richard Gasquet getting out there. Tommy Haas doesn’t engender such confidence and I don’t see Tomaz Bellucci or Michael Llodra getting that far. It’s quite an easy 16th of a section there and someone has a golden opportunity.

So for now in my semifinals I got straight chalk: Djokovic v. Ferrer, Murray v. Federer. Can it happen? Sure, but someone will likely fall by the wayside and I don’t think it’s Novak. So for the moment I’ll take Novak winning this crown again, this time over Murray.

As for the draw, it’s pretty unbalanced. Top half far easier than the bottom which has Del Po, Federer and Murray, and a question mark with Tsonga. Plus guys like Cilic, Tomic, Dolgopolov, Raonic, Simon and Gasquet. But heck, I’ll take it. As long as there’s some drama.

161 Comments for Australian Open Preview: Federer Was Right, Djokovic Is The Clear Favorite Thanks To A Cush Draw

Brando Says:

‘The bottom half is where the action is. ‘

Pretty much said the exact same thing on the other thread.

‘As for the draw, it’s pretty unbalanced.’

A shame really.

The positive for Muzza and Fed is that whoever gets to the final would be battle hardened, seriously sharp and in the zone. They HAVE to be considering their draw (Andy: Delpo, fed // Fed: Tsonga, Andy).

So whoever gets to the final will know their game is in top form and they are ready for novak.

ONLY major issue is how much time and effort it takes them to get there. They need to make sure that they do not spend too much time out there on court.

This will not be a problem for nole. Not only does he have the cushy draw but he’ll also have 2 DAYS REST prior to the final.

BTW, it seems weird that – given that fact that Nole and Fed have met 11 times at the slams, which is more than any other two players in slams in the men’s open era – they have faced each other in ONLY ONE slam final, which was Nole’s very first one: USO 2007.

It’s not a foregone conclusion that there will be a Murderer SF at the AO. Federer lost in the QF of the USO last year after 8 straight years reaching at least SF there. And the USO decoturf surface is better for his game than the AO plexicushion.

I remember that one:(
Five set points in the first and three in second set and yet Nole lost in three (7:6, 7:6, 6:4) Even Courier and McEnroe said at the time that Nole had a match in his hands only to prove too young to realise that and win, though he returned favour to Roger at the very next GS:)

I’m not so sure this is a bad outcome for Fed – if Tsonga’s groin injury he sustained in Hopman Cup is persistent, he mightn’t get to the quarters; Raonic is a bit up and down at the moment; Delpo and Andy may tire each other out in their quarter-final; Berdy is in the other half: Hewitt’s having a bit of a hot run (and I reckon he may even topple Tipsy); there are few showers forecast for the first few mornings + the heat may cause the roof to be closed – I feel sorry for whoever’s playing on Thurs – 37 degrees Celcius (98.6 F) temp forecast!
Game on!

It did happen after the draw. I haven’t seen video, if there is any, but they staged race in Melbourne, between ball hit by Nole and sport Audi and Nole beat Audi on 40m distance.
Try under “Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic unveils new racquet.”

Bernard! He looked like he was about to hurl in the first set, fought off several break points and set points to take the first set, and just closed out the second. Great fighting spirit that I hope from here on out he continues!
____________________________________________

I know it sounds strange (or stupid) but I just don’t feel confortable with easy draw. This is also for Skezzer from the other thread. I don’t know why but when ever I had easy things happening in my life I knew that I am going to pay for that just down the road … around the corner. Good things don’t come easy and as Skezzeer said Nole earned this one and I mean he really earned this one. I don’t know if I was clear, blame it on my English, but I am not ecstatic with the draw but I am ecstatic with AO starting in a few days and me going down to Malbourne following week:)

Czech Bird, Noles father makes really good old fashion “Big Bird Paprikash” in his reastaurants, goes well with chilled Rizling, Nole might send him fresh Big Bird from Aussieland:)
It is going to be even more expensive than Donkey Cheese.

The tournamnet should just give the trophy to Djokovic. He’s already won itthe he’s gotten to the SF. Whoever plays him in the final from the bottom half will be dead on their feet.He’ll win this year also.

Last year in addition to his easy draw he was scheduled for most of the night matches. I suppose this year will be the same.

Nothing much to add really other than see you in the final Nole,i very much doubt many Nole fans are not secretly delighted with this draw,im not picking on the guy either,as i know all players get their fare share of easy draws at times,i think ATM you could put any player in his half of the draw,and it wouldnt make a blind bit of difference,the guy is kryptonite especially on this surface,especially at the AO,Tipsy is unlikely to trouble Nole,and Ferrer and Berdych have crap records against him,agree with what Sean Randall says in that the best matches will be in the other half of the draw.

Alok i agree Feds side is full of pot holes,this draw is very unbalaced,still matches are played on a court and not on a blog so anything can happen,some fans dont like counting chickens for fear of been left with egg on their faces,understandable i suppose,also its best to ignore the usual suspects complaining about the sheduling.

murray has it tougher than federer.
federer got davydenko early which is tricky but outside of that where is the big danger? tomic is overrated. in fact rafter dropped him from davis cup because of his tanking. 3rd round seed, klizan? wow scary. raonic is overrated at the best of times particularly in 5sets and against good returners. and he’s not even in form.
gasquet hasn’t really broken through in gs besides the semi at wimby.
tsonga is slightly scary for fed fans but he’s the least consistent top tenner given his risk style and mentality. not a person on the planet would have him play for their life.
i’d like fed to get a dangerous draw so he can be sent packing but i’m disappointed at this.
the best chance of him losing before murray is davydenko. and nobody is putting money on that.

generally to beat federer you need to be a significantly better returner or a server who can potentially out serve federer[hard].
federer is excellent with service and very good returner too which is not common.
very few are better servers which is why it’s mainly big returners who’ve given him strife. except ferrer for some reason.
nadal,murray,djoker are all significantly better returners which is why they can beat him, though their service isn’t as good. nalbandian,davydenko,simon, hewitt early on. the pattern is there.
berydch and delpo are good returners for big men, and can match federer in some matches in this department, thus along with service similar to federer, it allows them to have some success.

but when you look at players like raonic, tsonga, they are serve dominant but poor returners[raonic horrible obviously] gasquet,tomic,kohl from that draw and many of the B+ players in general are bother weaker servers and weaker returners than fed so it’s almost impossible for them to cause trouble unless something goes very wrong.

The patern to beat Fed is there: great return game to pressure his serve, and force him out of his confort zone. But the player needs a solid serve as well, otherwise Fed will break. Is like what happens with Djoko and Murray, how well can they hold their serve usually is associated with their success agaisnt Fed. Because we know they will borke Fed serve eventually, but if they can’t hold, the match goes the distance because they will be broken as well. You also know that they will always have one erratic game and Fed will take his chances. The matches were they won dominantly agaisnt Fed was the ones they serve the best.

Nadal has more success, due to clay and serving smart against Fed (left x right) in ad side to Fed’s BH. This is advantage Murray and Djoko doesn;t have, that’s why we see so many times Nadal wins the big points (important) against Fed, because break points and game points Nadal always have the open left serve on his side.

Nadal fans tends to imply that Nadal beats Fed hands down, but apart from that RG 08′ and Miami 11′ Nadal’s wins was on a few points, those points.

In the end of all the takking and agreeing to disagree. Fed still got game to win this slam. He is better then 2011 and Novak is under 2011 with this built up I feel he is in a better place and shape then last year when he was compromised by his back.

Brando completely agree with everything your saying,this is Noles title to lose,cant see any player having a hope of actually even pinching a set,Fed and Murray will probably kill each other getting to the final,ive picked Murray to win the title in my bracket,more out of hope rather than expectation though,BTW have you filled out your bracket yet?

What we do here in this site basically is dissecate every aspect of the game, match, etc….

Rafa fans doesn’t have a problem because in the end, what it counts is the win, and Rafa has the most. But analysing the matches you can see that they are close, don’t need to tell myself this, it a FACT. Is not like for example Ferrer x Federer close matches, where they are only close for a few games but Fed has a flawless HxH.

You just reiterate what I was saying regarding rafa fans. We all love Fedal (at leats the ones who do) because deep down, nobody know what will happen, in each form Fed will be, who will be serving better, and etc… We know Nadal will be ready to play (as always), if the chances presents itself he will get back in the match even from behind and Fed will have to earn every point. That’s why they are so exciting and they being 2 legends, just add more.

But it is not a washout, otherwise Fed wouldn’t be beating Nadal regularly after his peak years: since 2008 (last 4 year, 09′, 10′, 11′ and 12′) they are 6×4 in favor of Nadal, having split 1 match for each every year, with the exception of 2011 (also the year they played more than one match on clay). Also, from this last 10 matches, only 4 wer on clay (3×1 in favor of Nadal). Which means that in last 4 years, they only met 1 time on clay per year, or 2 (2011), and the HxH is more balanced, a normal one, we can say. If Fededer keep avoiding playing Nadal on clay in his last years on tour, the HxH won’t be even more lopsided and who knows how Nadal’s twilight years will be. He is in a turning point of pro tennis where most tend to go down. But him being what he is, we can sure expect a few more good runs in him, juts like Federer did (09′ and 12′).

To me the merit of Nadal agaisnt Fed is not even superior HxH, but superior HxH in Slams (even with 5 wins on RG)!

I think Djoko has a 50% chance, Fed 30% and Murray 20%. Murray has yet to beat Fed in a Slam, but the other 3 times were final. I think he will be way more relax if they meet in semis. We can see something similar to last year. Fed came out blasting agaisnt Nadal, the way he was playing I thought the match was his. But as the match progressed Nadal stepd in and seems like Fed did want it that much. He may think long term in the season, if Murray presents to be a battle match and think of Wimby and US Open. I still think Slam is a Slam, but by what happened last year. He may not give his all knowing he will have to beat Novak 2 days later, in a potential night match. Wimby 2012 he gave his all because it was title match and the match he prepare himself for every season: playing for Wimby title.

The thing with Nole is that he will look sublime agaisnt everybody else, but when he face either Fed or Murray is going to be close. If you look the last 3 Slam he lost, Nadal (RG) where Nadal is superior on clay, Fed (Wimby) as Fed is superior on grass and Murray (US) as Murray shouldn’t be superior to him in a fats hard court Slam, but was. So basically, he has to win AO, where is his best Slam, great draw, slow hard and Fed and Murray will have to batle first. So, if he doesn’t win here, the aura will decrease. Because how will he beat the others in the afore mentioned matches, when they are as great as him in those particular Slams. Of course, Nadal will be retunring from 8 motnhs off, first Slam RG. Nobody ever won a Slam after such a long absence and in fisrt Slam back, but this is RG, Nadal’s turf. Murray will only get better on grass. And US Open a hot player can still present a threat.

I was also making some claculations and if Djoko reaches semis, he will be #1 regardless of Fed winning AO 13′.

That could be a very odd scenarioo, because he would have no Slam, Fed 2 of the last 4 and Djoko would still be #1. Last time

Completing: Last time something similar happened, Nadal won 2 Slams in 2008 (RG and WImby) and Fed was still #1 until August with no Slam in the year, but he was defending US 07′ and still had a Slam to his name in the last 52 weeks. Djoko could be #1 without Slam in the last 52 weeks while Fed could have 2 and not be #1. Wozniak effect in mens tour.

Wog boy, fingers crossed that Nole makes the semis at least, because if he does he’ll overtake Lendl for consecutive QFs and SFs at slams, and he will be second alone behind Fed on both lists: right now he’s tied with Lendl on both; here’s the link -

Yeah, put that way, Djokovic definitely needs to win the title. And yeah, his draw is pretty easy. I mean this is still a sport so anything can happen, but his draw is pretty much a joke. As a fan, I don’t care that he got an easy draw, but I’m glad Murray got a tough one. And I’m not really glad Federer got a tough one but I’m curious to see how well he does. I’m betting he cruises until the quarters or semis despite all of the “challenges.”

Djoko is having pretty consistant numbers in all Slam, and he started having great results in a young age. He has more than 30 wins in all and if he keeps having 20+ wins a year in the next 2-3 years he could very well surpass 200 Slams wins and stays top 3-4 in all time list. Maybe even more and stay close to Federer depending on his longevity.

The Wozniak comment was not in a negative way, but people on this blog discussed this situations with #1 not holding Slam a lot and some criticized the system in 2008 after Nadal swept RG-W double. What I am pointing is that we may see somthing that never ever happened in the ranking system in the Open era. When Rios was Slamless #1, there were 4 other Slam Winners sharing 4 Slams. If Fed or Murray wins AO, either one them will hold 2 and Nole 0. That would be odd!

I don’t think it’s the easiest draw ever. I’ve seen the other guys have plenty of easy draws. Plus, Djokovic has had some brutal draws in the past. I don’t really go deep into dissecting draws but I like to look at how many top 10 players someone beat when they won a slam. An easy slam is if you only beat 1. I think, on average, the winner will only go through 2. But on occasion, and what I’d say is a pretty difficult slam, is beating 3. Djokovic did it in 2011 when he beat Berdych, Federer, then Murray. And I know Federer did it in 07 US Open when he beat Roddick, Davydenko, and Djokovic (also ranked 5, 4, 3 which is damn impressive).

Those are just 2 I can think of off the top of my head. Of course the ranking doesn’t tell the whole story. Last year Federer beat Del Potro who was ranked 11 (although he didn’t win). But that certainly carries more weight than beating number 9 Tipsarevic. And beating 5th ranked and 4th seeded Ferrer doesn’t carry as much weight as, well, beating 7th ranked Del Potro (despite the h2h, a slam champ is a slam champ and the other isn’t).

But let’s also remember that Federer’s brutal draw is only brutal by name. How many times has Federer lost to Raonic, Davydenko, or Tomic? Or even Tsonga for that matter. Yeah they’re tough opponents, but they’re not exactly known for their great success against Rog.

And that’s what I think as well. What ranking represents is conistancy and of course, by law of avarages, the most consistant eventually will win a Slam. But usually with man tennis, that was always the case. But what this shows as well, is that the field is deep and not all players are able to hold it for the whole year.

Example: if Fed wins AO, he will at least be close to Nole in rankings, I think less than 400 pts but if Murray is the one to win AO and hold 2 Slams, he will not even be with 10k points. Which means even with 2 Slams (and Olympics) he is not a threat to #1 yet due to consistancy. You have to perform all year, and that’s what Djoko did. Fed had his worst last quarter and even if he wins AO and holds 2 Slams, those results will hurt his ranking. As Jaime pointed out, Fed doesn’t won a title since Cincy in Augsut 2012.

While Berdych and Ferrer are top ten guys, without Rafa around it creates an imbalance/vacuum in the draws, especially at slams, and yes, the draw is therefore lopsided – Nole’s is very good. Still, Berd has beaten ALL of Murray, Fed and Nole at slams, taking out Fed at the very last HC slam and stretching Andy to 5 sets, so you never know. Nole has a good record vs Berd but many matches have been tightropes at times.

I have no idea what kind of form Harrison is in, but as a determined young gun, he isn’t an “easy” round 2 for anyone.. He gave Nole a tough match at Wimbledon, and he’s pushed Fed to tiebreakers before as well.

Ah yes, how could I forgot the easiest draw in history? Nadal US Open 2010. And that was when Djokovic was still learning how to serve (again). Gabashvili is a great guy but Mathieu is a tougher opponent, especially for a first round.

The biggest issue is that the top 4 have dominated the field so much that it really makes no difference. Kevin Anderson is the highest ranked non-seeded player. Despite that one win over Djokovic eons ago, would he really be that tough of a first round opponent? No. Because no matter what, the draws are pretty much always going to be easy. The top 4 realize their potential every single time (almost for Murray). But all of these others guys with tons of potential? Not so much.

Again, that’s why I don’t care that Djokovic got an easy draw. I don’t really know what a tough draw would look like. Djokovic owns Del Potro the same way he owns Berdych. Murray struggles with both but usually beats them anyway. They pretty much all own Tsonga. Berdych just beat Fed in New York, Del Potro got him twice indoors. The last time Tsonga beat Federer was 2011 Wimbledon. Since then he’s like 5-0 against him. So, yeah.

See, Ben thought the same as me and we are pretty smart guys, at least I know I am:)
But now that you mentioned it, i have no idea who Nadal was suppose to get in that particular draw. Where can we find this info? Because I wanted to check seed as well and couldn’t find it. Anyone…?

And the point we are making is that Djoko will have #5 seed and #4 which is already harder than other draws where #1 usually plays #7 or #8 in quarters. Berdy is hot after beating Fed and Ferrer is playing excelent tennis for some time now, althoug evevryone agrees he is not beating Djoko. But hey anyhting can happen. Nobody saw Ferrer beating Nadal in AO 2011 when he was going for 4 in a row. So… If Tipsarevic was Djoko quarter than that would be his easiest draw. And imagine if Fed or Murray are not in the final?!

To get an easy draw is neither the players,or the fans of their favorites fault,admitidly as a fan of Rafa i must admit to coin a phrase,put it this way i was not too displeased with the draw he got at the USO in 2010,all players from time to time get their share of cushy draws,and fans should not feel ashamed of that either,the same conversation happens everytime a GS draw comes out,but like it or not it is what it is,and anything can happen,you still have to go out and win 7 matches to win the title,matches are played on a court not on a blog.

Alison, exactly right. Throughout their careers I’m sure things are pretty balanced. Like I said, in 2011 Djokovic had a brutal draw. This year it’s easy. Easiest any of the big 4 have ever had? I don’t think so.

Is like associations. The minute you said: easist draw ever. US Open 2019 pop my mind.

Or if you reply without thinking: Murray’s biggest career win: US Open 2012; Djoko’s biggest career win: Wimby 2011; Nadal’s biggest career win: Wimby 2008; Federer biggest career win: hum, doubt, either RG 09′ or Wimby 09′ or Wimby 12′. In terms of importance in the particular period: RG 09′. But Wimby 12′ seems to matter more. I don’t know, maybe it was the most recent one…

My point is that me and Ben didn’t think of initial draw due to first basic association with your query.

That’s why I responded that we associated easiest GS Draw with that one 2019(just for fun:) US Open, without thinking clearly. Your question was right. Is just the statement that caused this confusion and we thought of the end result

By the way, self knowledge is one of the most underrated qualities a person can possess. So is humbleness:)

Taking a momentary break from the draw scrutiny, the controversy over the 20 sec rule continues to divide the players. Andy & Nole are for it, Tipsy & Isner are against it and Berdy thinks it will “wreck the men’s game”.

Daves not been posting lately,but it would be interesting to here his take on the draws of each of the top players,ive noticed a pattern lately when Dave doesnt post neither does another certain lady hmm,no harm or foul just saying.

Few nights ago in Sydney, umpire Gerry Armstrong did show example of how you can deal with enforcing 25 sec rule. He was waiting until the first set finished, then leaned towards Granollers and told him “You will have to quicken it up or I will have to penalise you.” Granollers just said “Thank you” and everything was fine until the end of the match. That is what I call common sense.

Seems you missed somebody, there is only 6 players. This draw had Djokovic, who had just dethrones “the king is dead” in AO in the same year and had set points the previous years. Jut this match alone saved any easy match. And none would have thought Murray would fold after beating Nadal in semis. So, I think you has to be more objective.

I’m intrigued to see if this Polish player Jerzy Janowicz is just one time 1/4 wonder or true threat for the big guys.

Legend for “one time wonder” players:
1.Slam winner – full one time wonder
2.Slam finalist – 3/4 of a one time wonder
3.Masters winner – 2/4 of a one time wonder
4.Masters finalist – 1/4 of a one time wonder

Am helping Kimberly out on this one. Sign up ASAP, only 2 days left for picking for the AO ’13. Jamie the predictor should be the first one to play this thing. Lots of fun!!!

Go to;

1) http://racquetbracketmens.tennischannel.com
2) Click “Register to Play”
3) Fill out info, and select “Register to play” at bottom of page
4) On next page select “Join a Private Pool”
5) On the next page, In “Pool” field type in “Tennis X Fans”, in the “Pool Password” field leave it blank.
6) Press “Submit”
7) At this point Kimberly will receive an email to accept, when you get a response your good to go, log in and make your picks.

Of the trio, I think Andy yet again has a tough draw to encounter. Somehow it always happens with Andy where he always gets the rough edges. It just happens. He is not lucky. I think Roger’s side is also pretty much loaded against the veteran with the dangerous Bernard Tomic in the way and Tsonga in the quarters and Andy in the semis. It is brutal if the seeds hold out and it indeed transpires in such meetings. But I do not think Roger will have any problem in disposing of the likes of Davydenko whom he has beaten 16 times before. Therefore, it would be tough to call Roger’s section too. But he must atleast make the quarters in my opinion to continue his streak. As regards Novak, he has the easy way out and his own stumbling block would be Berdych but he has always been a sacrificial goat for Novak. So, Novak in all probability will reach the finals without bruise and he will be the favourite. No doubt about it. My pick would be Novak followed by Andy and Roger, necessarily in that order. Unless, something happens on the physical side, I see Novak picking up his fourth Australian Open title and his sixth major and it is not a mean achievement by any standards.

Yes Novak Djokovic is the best right now but we should not forget that Andy Murray was very close to beating him last year in the semifinals here. I do think that Federer and Murray has a slight chance if they can improve on the return games side and service games respectively. YEs Djokovic is the best but Federer and Murray are not far behind. Murray defeated him in US Open and Federer has the game to defeat him. It is difficult to defeat Djokovic but not impossible.

The Big Three (Djokovic, Federer, Murray) & Del Potro- Statistical Precursor to Australian Open 2013 – Part 1 http://tinyurl.com/cquyupn

Skeezer i already filled in one mens bracket on the global tennis network link that Kimberly put up,but i cant seem to be ablb to register with the link you put up,i will keep trying but i have to go to work soon,so ill have to try again later if i have no sucess.

Michael enjoy Djokovics road to the final,im just hoping to at least see him in some competitive matches,although im sensing that may be all in vain,i think the best matches will most probably be in the other half of the draw.

Thanks very much, I really enjoy masters challenge and talking to people on one Kimberly organised, lots of fun, but I just don’t do predictions for GS, call it superstition or whatever , my priest would say superstition is devils thing since it is very much against church teaching but he doesn’t read TX so I am safe:)
But I wish you all good luck and the winner to be one who puts Nole as a winner of AO … regardles who is going to win AO;)

I think Federer’s quarter is actually quite easy contrary to what some people think and he should easily make it to the semis.Having Davydenko in his quarter is a blessing in disguise if you ask me as it will help federer prepare for a potential showdown with nole considering that davy is in many aspects,a miniature version of nole.He should not try to lose more than 1 set before the semis to conserve his energy and if he does that then he has a decent chance of lifting the trophy.if the rumours are true and the court has indeed been sped up then that will improve Federer’s chances even more.

Tomic wins his first title beating Anderson in 3 sets. He slipped back into his old ways in the 2nd set but stepped it up in the 3rd. He has been unbeaten in 2013 since Hopman Cup – got to be feeling pretty good going into the AO.

Its the same as the masters challenge, your just picking a winner every rd. No superstition there just a game….no need to check with the alignment of jupiter and mars to decide, just pick who you think is going to win every rd.

Many congratulations to tomic for his first title. To win at home must feel good. What a way to start the year!! Looks like a win over djokovic was not a fluke, he is really playing well. It will be interesting to see what he can to at the AO.

Djokovic plays on Monday…doesn’t the bottom half of the men’s draw always play first? That’s what I remember from the last 8 or 9 years. Looks like they changed it again to satisfy their defending champion. Now Djokovic gets to have a cakewalk draw and play a Thursday SF and rest two days until Sunday’s final while Fed and Murray battle it out on Friday. So unfair… #rigged

I didn’t see Tomic play but no doubt the guy has a lot of talent. If he puts his mind to it, he can be trouble and he can move up in the pecking order. He can get lackadaisical in a match which can backfire on him. As long as he stays focused and determined he can go far – anyhow congrats to him for his first title!

Steve 27, In US Open 2008 Federer had to beat two top 5 players in a row to win the title, not to mention that your beloved Nadal was beaten in 4 sets by Murray, if that’s a joke then why aren’t you playing against those guys?. I’m sure you could do so much better.

Reading Murrays interview I was aware that there is no first time Grand Slam winner who have ever win the following Slam he plays.

So we have 3 distinguish never happened in the open era to be break in this AO:

1 – Nobody win 3 in a row: Djoko is going for that

2 – Nobody won it fibe times: Federer is going for that record

3 – No First Time Slam winner wins the following Slam: Murray can break this course if he win AO

Unless someine diferent from top 3 wins AO 13′ history will be made!!

It’s awesome living in this era where basically in every major history is made or the potential is there. Same will haleen in RG (Djoko going for career slam; Nadal going for an 8th Slam, unprecedent; Federer going for a second career Slam… Wimledon as well with Murray always bringing the locals excitment, Federer going for an 8th as well. Just amazing!

Most improved part of Tomic game is servis, he is serving 70-75% every match, almost. That gives him quite a few free points, the rest of the game is not much improved, more or less the same, IMO. He is sort of bloke who thrives on home soil and loves all the fuss surounding him. I saw most of his matches this january. First one with Haas was mighty chocke by Haas, in all fairness Haas should have won that one in two. He was 6:1 in TB and still lost first set and was serving for the match and lost it, then Nole came and nice win by Tomic, I think he gave Nole only one BP. That was what he needed, the huge wind in the back tha can carrie him as far as Federer and he is going to put him back in his place in three easy sets. Then we are going to see how he is going to play ones he is out of Australia. If he keeps doing then what he is doing now I will be ready to eat my words until then I don’t see him as next big thing .
It looks like that I am not fan of his, I can run but I cannot hide;)

I am 31, single, 6’1″, 176 lbs fit, a hunk:) leaving in Ipanema, Rio and am at home watching a bunch of guys and reading tennis news preparing for AO. Gosh I am old!!! But I have tge excuse of work ohone ringing 7 am than later at 9 am. Didn’t have a great night of sleep:)

All the talk about Fed’s TOUGH draw is enough to drive you crazy. I read somewhere that Roger is 23-2 against this tough draw. And what’s so tough about a projected lineup that includes Raonic who’s losing a lot recently and Tsonga who suffered one of the two (Isner the other) serious injuries since the start of the year and may not be fully recovered?

I see that Tomic’s presser created a buzz yesterday which contained several quotable comments. This one in particular got a chuckle: when asked about his potential meeting with Federer in the third round, Tomic replied: “If he gets that far…”. ouch

I have seen that one, that was after hearing what Federer thinks about him making top 10 by the end of the year, though it was with the smile on his face, like a joke. After all those wins in January he is super confident and he said also that he is not the same player as he was when he lost last time against Federer. He does have a game that if the other player get sucked into his game and rhythm it is hard to get out of that rhythm, Federer is not one of them:) I personally think that Davydenko is more danger for Roger than Tomic, if he (Davydenko) can last 4-5 sets, but I am pretty sure that Roger will make SF regardles of all those talks about tough draw, Andy ended up with the worst draw, IMO.

Oh I don’t doubt it was a joke. It’s just that taken out of context it’s liable to get blown up a bit. Humor, particularly dry or ironic humor, gets lost in transcripts. I hope they do meet up, it’ll be interesting to see how he has progressed since last year. Hoping for a tight contest.

Thanks for your invitation and also the instructions to join the bracket challenge. I will certainly consider that. It should be real fun indeed. For your information, I am not anyway afraid about putting my picks and opinion, why should I be ? Even if I fail in my judgement, am I going to be penalised. Afterall, we are not waging bets here. We are just picking the favourites. Nevertheless, thanks once again.

Alison, Agree. Novak has a cakewalk draw. He should be the in the final without much sweat. May be Berdych can provide him some resistance, but there is no guarantee that he will reach that stage and also there is a dip in his form. Even at his best, he was not able to beat Novak often. With this kind of dip in form, upset can be ruled out. But there is always some space for shocks. It may happen, but the chances are one in a thousand.

Michael yeah i have nothing against Djokovic,hes an amazing player,but i think his matches may be a little bit too easy and borderline boring for me sorry,im looking forward to seeing some competitive ones in the other side of the draw,as for Berdychs or Ferrers chances your right highly doubtful so i wont hold my breath,strictly for Djokovic die hards,and although i like the guy sorry im not a Djokovic die hard though.

Alison, It is exactly the other end of the draw where it is intense and interesting. Ofcourse, we always love uncertainity more than a foregone conclusion, more so especially in sport unless you are in the driving seat. I think Andy has a very tough task on his hands and if he still emerges as a Champion, it will propel him to more greatness. I pick Del Potro as the dark horse who may be able to cause upsets. Other than him, may be Tomic. But apart from that I really do not see any other player who can challenge the trio. Well, there is the ever improving Tipsaveric, but the question is if he really believes in himself ? For all that talk of intense competition today, it seems there is a big vacuum of talent. I do not know why I am getting that feeling, but it appears to be the case. May be, I am wrong. I think apart from the top four with the accretion of Nadal in future, there doesn’t seem much talent around.

Margot yahoo i hope our other girl Laura manages to it through to the next round too,havent actually seen any matches today,the only bit of tennis i caught was Youzhney v Ebden with Youzhney almost going out,and managing to save match point,as i had to get up and go straight to work,i checked all the results with Maria,Venus and Djokovic all predictably through safely,Nando did it the hard way in 5 sets,however im on a late shift tomorrow so i will be able to stay up for a while and watch Andy as hes on 1st yipee,lets go Andy lets go.

Michael your right alot of promising new talent emerging Nishikori,Tomic,Raonic,Harrison,Dimitrov,Dolgo etc,who play well and are capable of having great results but then cant seem to be able to back it up,also its great to see the veterans of the game who can still turn it on,i was dissapointed that Hewitt wasnt able to back up what he did last week,but Tipsaravic is a solid top 10 player anyway,so it was unfortunate that Leyton didnt face a (no disrespect)lesser player in his 1st round match,Verdasco is also capable of playing fantastic tennis when hes on,but didnt back up what he did in that semi against Rafa in 2009 where really he should have won that match,and has gone backwards since,i hope to see Delpo making some waves as he is capable of troubling the top guys ALA Djokovic at the olympics and Roger at the WTFs,i dont know what will happen when Rafa returns its all speculation but ATM IMO,the mens game would benefit greatly with some more competition.

YAY Margot you sound full of excitement me tooo,go Andy go get that title me man me braveheart haha,lets show that Djokovic whos the king of tennis now,time for a new AO champion,no offence Novak fans,lets go Andy lets go yeehaa.

Sally Kirkman thinks Federer will win?Let me guess-she is astrologer?Whouuuu….and my granny thinks that McEnroe will win, because she thinks he still plays!(She saw him on TV other day…),.Federer maybe wins, but not because of predictions…

Courbon i like many others cant see past Novak winning the title,but with Rafa missing Andys always been my second favorite player,he has a tough section so i will just take it one step at a time and hope for the best,getting past Delpo 1st wont be easy,and Roger will be his biggest challenge,thats assuming he actually gets that far,in sport anything can happen sometimes,time will tell however.

[...] success over Murray in Slams also gives me some pause. So after picking Murray to beat Federer at this stage at the start of event I’ll make the cardinal sin and go in reverse. I just think Federer’s playing better, [...]